Erher i suggest looking up "deep latch" videos on YouTube. If you're anything like me, seeing it is very helpful versus reading/pictures.
My personal opinion on pacifiers is to get the latch down before you introduce it. But for me it has helped for the same reasons kiwi mentioned. He was able to use it to sooth himself in the hospital nursery and sleep there for a couple hours. So far at home the paci is for entertainment or down time but the only way he'll sleep is like kiwi mentioned -- swaddled, then brought to boob for a feed untl he passed out, then VERY GENTLY placed in bed. Of course none of this works if he just isn't ready for sleep! In that case he'll doze off but the second head touches crib he's wide awake
FTM's -- hang in there! The first baby is by far the most difficult adjustment. It really does get easier. We're alk just going through the toughest stage right now which is adjusting to a new baby in the house. This makes the biggest impact, in my opinion, when it's the first baby.
"The days are long but the years are short". Early days are rough but I promise in a few weeks, months, on their first bday...you are going to be blown away by how fast it all went!